


5 Times Rafael Was Unintentionally Romantic + 1 Time He Did It On Purpose

by soul_writerr



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: 5+1 Things, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Married Life, Romance, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-29 00:40:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18767638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soul_writerr/pseuds/soul_writerr
Summary: Sonny and Rafael have been married for a while, but Rafael still takes Sonny's breath away without even trying.





	5 Times Rafael Was Unintentionally Romantic + 1 Time He Did It On Purpose

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am! I think this has been the longest I've gone without posting, but here we are. 
> 
> I wanna thank Maxi for reminding me how much I love this HC and Vince for helping me figure out the 5th romantic thing Rafael could do.
> 
> Enjoy!

1

Sonny was slowly brought into consciousness from his nice sleep, and opened his eyes to immediately see Rafael laying beside him, looking right at him with a peaceful expression.

His smile stretched into a big grin, and he closed his eyes for a couple more seconds before humming pleasantly and shifting towards his husband lazily. He looked at Rafael again, and blinked the sleep out of his eyes.

“Good morning, baby,” he whispered, still smiling. 

“Good morning,” Rafael replied, his voice particularly deep, and turned on his side to reach for Sonny. “I think today is going to be a really good day,” he said, and placed a soft kiss on Sonny’s cheek.

Sonny snuggled up closer to him, brushing their noses together. “Yeah? Why’s that?”

“You were smiling in your sleep,” Rafael told him casually, kissing the tip of Sonny’s nose. “That was the first thing I saw when I woke up. And that’s a good way to start the day, you know?”

Sonny leaned back slightly to look at his husband, his mouth slightly agape. Rafael took the opportunity to lean in and press a loving kiss on his lips. Then, before Sonny could even work out a reply, their alarm went off, and Rafael pressed one more kiss on his cheek before he rolled away and stood up, stifling a yawn on his way to the bathroom.

He watched Rafael go, feeling his heart fluttering like crazy in his chest. 

When Sonny’s brain finally clicked into place, he threw the covers off of himself and immediately ran after his husband. He had a few things to say and, well, do, before they got ready for work.

2

Sonny let out a tired sigh as he checked his watch. It was almost 2pm, and he still hadn’t had lunch. The case SVU was currently working started off pretty well, all things considered, then halfway through the investigation, all hell broke loose and they had to start from scratch.

It took everyone off their game, and they were just now getting their footing back again and facts were starting to line up, but there was still a lot to work through. 

Which was precisely why Sonny had been called into Rafael’s office. The amount of files and chains of evidence the squad had been sending the ADA was probably about to have him climbing the walls, and Sonny was going to do his best to help prevent that.

He greeted Carmen with an easy smile, and she replied with one of her own, then stood up and left. Sonny frowned as she turned the corner, then shrugged. It was probably time for her to head off for lunch. 

God, but Sonny was hungry. So hungry, in fact, that he imagined the most delicious scents as he opened the door to Rafael’s office. 

“Hey, Counselor,” he greeted, beaming as he caught sight of his husband with his feet up his desk, jacket off and sleeves rolled up. “Looking good.” 

Rafael raised an eyebrow at him, but smiled. “You flatterer. I’m glad you could come so quickly.”

“Well, the Lieu said you sounded a bit desperate on the phone,” he approached the desk, rounding it to perch himself next to Rafael’s feet. “So I rushed here.” 

Rafael’s smile turned into a wicked smirk, and he set his feet back on the ground so he could stand up between Sonny’s legs. “I’m glad you’re still as eager as you were back when we were just flirting with each other.” 

“That’s not how I remember it,” he chuckled, pulling Rafael closer by the hips. “I believe I was bending over backwards to impress you, and you were trying your best to shut me down.”

Rafael laughed, “Yes, as I said,  _ flirting _ ,” he leaned in and kissed him. “But regardless of what Olivia said, and I think she was projecting a little when she said I sounded desperate, I didn’t call you here for work.”

Sonny’s brows shot up, and he immediately felt a flush going up his face. “Oh?”

“Not  _ that  _ either, you horny teenager,” he rolled his eyes fondly, then pointed at something behind Sonny. “That!”

He turned to look over his shoulder and gasped loudly when he saw the spread that took over Rafael’s conference table, from where the fantastic smells Sonny could still catch a whiff of were coming. There were even plates, glasses, and actual cutlery. Not takeaway boxes,  _ cutlery. _

“We haven’t had lunch together in over a month, and this week’s been hell, so maybe I let Liv believe that this was a professional call,” he snorted. “What she doesn’t know won’t kill her.”

“Jesus, Raf,” he breathed, absently pulling his husband closer to himself. “It smells amazing. God,  _ I’m so hungry.”  _

Rafael laughed again, running a hand over the side of Sonny’s neck, “Good. Let’s eat, then.”

3

Sonny was excited. It was movie night in the Barba-Carisi household, and that meant three things: pizza, a couple  _ good  _ beers and  _ a lot  _ of cuddling on the couch. 

Sonny was  _ so  _ excited, in fact, that he took the stairs up to their apartment instead of waiting for the elevator. He had been sitting on his desk for most of the day, getting his blood rushing a bit would do him good. Plus, Rafael was already home, the food was on its way, and he knew there were comfy pyjama pants waiting for him after a good shower. 

He spotted his husband as soon as he opened the door. Rafael was sitting in his armchair in the living room, a glass of Scotch in hand, already dressed in his own comfy pyjamas. Of course, Sonny immediately made his way to him and kissed him enthusiastically, chasing away the taste of the drink with his tongue. 

He was kneeling between Rafael’s legs, running his hands up and down his thighs as they kissed, and Rafael hummed approvingly. Right when Sonny was about to let his hand go up, up,  _ up  _ where he wanted it, his husband pulled away and said, “I have something for you.”

Sonny smirked. “Yeah? Is this  _ something  _ in your pants?”

Rafael smiled and kissed him again, roughly, then pulled away with a loud smack. “ _ That  _ something is for later. But there’s a box in the dining table, and it’s for you.”

Sonny almost said he’d open it later because he wanted to climb into Rafael’s lap and never leave, but he was curious, and Rafael seemed eager himself, so they both stood up and went to find the box. 

It was a regular cardboard box with an UPS stamp and their address, there was nothing that revealed its content, and Sonny started suspecting it might be a sex toy. Rafael had surprised him with a few toys before, and it was always exciting when they tried something new, so Sonny went for the box opener with enthusiasm, slicing the sides open with no hesitation.

“Careful!,” Rafael warned. “You wouldn’t want to accidentally stab it.”

Sonny shot him a side-glance, then went back to cutting more carefully. When he opened the lid, his breath caught. It wasn’t a sex toy, and it made his heart grow twice its size. 

“I hope it does it justice,” Rafael said casually, looking down at it with a small smile. “It took some convincing and  _ extra motivation _ to get the artist to paint an Italian landscape. He’s Cuban, and almost exclusively paints Cuban pictures, but I thought it’d be nice if mine and yours matched.”

Sonny reached inside the box to pick up the beautiful picture of Torino, painted in watercolor. Rafael had one just like it, but with a picture of Havana. It was hanging in their room, and Sonny always stopped to admire it. 

“Raf, it’s beautiful,” he said, smiling. “It’s perfect.”

“Yeah? Great. We can put them side by side above our beds, what do you think?”

He turned to give Rafael a tight hug, kissing along his jawline. “That sounds great. Thank you so much, baby.” 

“It’s only fair,” he kissed Sonny’s temple. “They’ll look good together, it’ll give the room some more color.”

A week later, both paintings were hung above their bed - Torino’s on Sonny’s side and Havana’s on Rafael’s side. When he stepped out of their bathroom to find his husband lying right below the Cuban painting, he could swear he fell in love all over again.

4

Sonny set the plate of appetizers on the coffee table and placed two unopened bottles of beer beside it. Rollins had just texted him, saying her and Sergeant Dodds were five minutes away.

He took a sip of his own beer and set it next to the others, making his way to the bedroom with an excited pep to his step. It was the first game of the season, and Rollins and Dodds, being of the opposite team, had been teasing him nonstop all week. 

So, naturally, he invited them both over to watch the game. Rafael hadn’t really minded, but he also wasn’t a baseball kind of guy, so Sonny half-expected him to stay in the bedroom while the game was on. 

However, when he opened the bedroom door, he found his husband standing in front of the mirror, wearing a Mets baseball jersey just like Sonny’s. 

He blinked repeatedly, unsure of what he was seeing. 

“Raf?,” he stepped into the bedroom. “What the hell?”

Rafael turned with an amused look. “What? You didn’t think I could make a jersey work for me?” 

“Well, I had never considered you’d wear one,” Sonny tilted his head, still confused. 

“I just think you shouldn’t be outnumbered in your own house,” Rafael shrugged then turned back to the mirror, nodding, satisfied. “It looks okay. Although this fabric is horrid.” 

Sonny was still in quite a shock at the sight of his husband in the orange and blue colors - which he had said before he didn’t really like the combination - when the doorbell rang, but he managed to pull himself together to go entertain his guests. A moment later, Rafael joined them. 

“Counselor,” Dodds greeted. “I didn’t expect you to join us.” 

“Yeah Barba, Sonny didn’t tell us you rooted for the Mets,” Rollins lifted an eyebrow as she checked his shirt. Both her and Dodds were wearing Yankees shirts. 

“Sonny wouldn’t have married me if I didn’t,” he said dryly. 

Sonny snorted. “Yes, I would have. Are you drinking beer with us?”

Rafael grimaced and shook his head. “ _ That  _ I can’t get behind.” 

“I’ll get you a glass of Scotch,” Sonny smiled as he made his way to the kitchen.

“Have you ever seen the Mets play?,” Dodds asked with a knowing smile.

“Not even once,” he shrugged. “But you both bet I’m not letting you bully him.” 

Rollins smiled. “That’s sweet, Barba.” 

Rafael rolled his eyes. “Spare me, Rollins.”

That game ended being the best Sonny had ever watched, without a doubt. And not because the Mets had won, but because Rafael had been there rooting along with him, cheering at every time they scored, and shutting down Rollins and Dodds’ cocky comments throughout the game. 

In the end, it was all good fun, and Sonny watched as Rafael neatly folded his jersey and put it in a drawer later that evening. When he turned back and caught Sonny’s eye, he smiled. 

“When’s the next game?,” Rafael asked, and Sonny beamed. 

A month later, they watched the game at Dodds’ place, and Rafael was there again. This time, he even knew the players’ names. When the Mets won again, Sonny kissed the hell out of Rafael, right there in the middle of his Sergeant’s living room, as he and Rollins booed them and their team. 

This was bound to be the best season the Mets had ever had.

5

Sonny was antsy to get home. Rafael had texted him, saying he was home, after two days away in a conference in Washington, DC. Sonny had also bought tickets to attend the conference, but got held back on a case and Rafael went on his own. 

But now Rafael was home, and Sonny was still in the precinct, and Sonny hadn’t even managed to pick him up at the airport, which made him feel like the worst husband on Earth. 

So really it wasn’t his fault that he kept frowning at his computer; he missed his husband, and he wanted to go home and listen to all of Rafael’s quips and comments about the lectures he watched - that was just as good as attending the conference himself.

“Sonny, go home,” Rollins said for the third time. “You can finish your paperwork tomorrow. Sitting there brooding at the screen isn’t helping any of us.”

He shook his head, trying to pull his face into a neutral expression again. “The Lieu hasn’t dismissed me.”

“Does she know Barba is back? I’m sure she would if she knew.”

Sonny shrugged, turning to look towards Olivia’s office. She was on the phone. “I’m not going to bother her.” 

Rollins let out an exasperated sigh, but went back to her work without saying anything else. 

Five minutes later, Olivia came out of her office looking just as tired as Sonny felt. She looked around the bullpen, and approached Sonny’s desk in slow steps. 

“How’s paperwork going?,” she asked, looking at Sonny, then at Rollins.

“This case is a mindfuck, Liv,” Rollins said. “I’m only halfway through.” 

“I’ve still got one third to go,” Sonny added, slumping further into his chair. By the time he finished, Rafael would probably be sleeping. 

Olivia sighed, running a hand through her hair. “We could probably get this done faster if we weren’t so tired,” she said, then seemed to consider her Detectives for a moment. “Go home, you two. We can finish this tomorrow.”

Realistically, Sonny knew that wasn’t the best idea. He should probably just get it over with, because tomorrow meant a new case, and new case meant more paperwork, and he didn’t want to create a backlog with his work, but Rafael was home, and he needed to see his husband. 

So after half a second of hesitation, Sonny stood up and grabbed his jacket, shutting his laptop with a dull thud.

“Carisi,” Olivia called with a knowing smile. “Tell Rafael I said hello.”

Sonny smiled back. “Will do, Lieu.”

* * *

 

Sonny found Rafael in their bedroom, unpacking his suitcase. He stood by the door for a moment, taking in the sight of his shirtless, gorgeous husband looking so comfortable in their home. 

When Rafael looked up, he stopped his motions to look at Sonny too and, slowly, he smiled. “Hey, you,” Rafael greeted. 

Sonny smiled back and made his way to him, immediately pulling Rafael into a hug and kissing along his shoulder and the curve of his neck. “Hi, Raf. I missed you so much.”

Rafael chuckled, hugging him back tightly. “I know. Liv told me you were looking rather miserable today.” 

“Well, it’s hard to be motivated at work when the love of your life is waiting for you at home,” Sonny said as he pulled back, kissing his husband properly on the lips. “Welcome back.”

“Thank you,” Rafael smiled. “I missed you, too.”

“You’re unpacking already,” Sonny asked, turning to help him.

Rafael waved a hand. “I just started while I was waiting for you so I wouldn’t get sleepy. I’ll do the rest tomorrow,” he grabbed Sonny’s hand and started pulling him out of the room. “Come on, let me give you your gifts.”

Sonny beamed. “You brought me stuff?”

“Obviously,” Rafael threw him a look, then made a beeline to a tote bag that had been left on the dining table and Sonny didn’t even notice on his way in. “I collected as much I could, and I emailed you the recordings I made.”

Sonny’s eyebrows went up. “Recordings?”

“Yeah, I recorded the lectures,” Rafael nodded. “I managed to get some books too, and all the brochures.”

Sonny opened the tote bag to find three new law books, along with a handful of brochures, pamphlets, notepads and pens with the conference’s logo. 

“Is this Casey’s new book?,” Sonny asked, awed. He’d been talking about Casey Novak nonstop lately, he had been very excited about going to her lecture in the conference, and he knew she’d be releasing her book there, too. 

“Yes, and she signed it,” Rafael told him with a smile, sitting down at the dining table to watch as Sonny opened the book. 

_ ‘Sonny, how about a drink so you can ask me about case law? xx Casey’ _

“What?,” he gasped. 

“You know she used to work with SVU, right? She said she’d invite the squad for a drink when she’s back in New York,” Rafael said, so casually, as he pulled out his phone and showed the contact named ADA Novak. “She said she’d call me. Although I think she might actually call Olivia.”

“Holy fucking shit, Rafael,” Sonny all but yelled. “Casey Novak?” 

Rafael laughed. “Should I be jealous of your obsession with another ADA, Sonny?”

“Of course not,” he waved a hand, feeling a little emotional. “I’m just shocked. Thank you so much for this.”

“It’s nothing, love,” Rafael smiled, standing up to place a kiss on his cheek. “Let me know if the recording worked, alright?” 

The next night, after they had dinner, Sonny sat at the table to listen to the recordings and make notes. He went straight for the one of Casey’s lecture, and five minutes in, he heard Rafael’s voice making comments about what was being said and smiled. 

He lifted his head to look at his husband, who was sitting across from him reading case files, and mouthed “thank you”. In reply, Rafael winked.

+1

Rafael had a very obvious impatient tell. They had known each other long enough for Sonny to notice the way he was drumming his fingers on the table top. If he were to take a bet, Sonny would also swear Rafael was tapping his foot on the floor, although he couldn’t see it. 

They were having dinner in a very nice restaurant, one of Rafael’s favorites, that required suits and ties and allowed no elbows on the table. The drumming of fingers had started once the waiter left with their plates and they ordered dessert. 

Sonny tilted his head, and took a sip of his wine with a little smile. “What is it, Raf?”

He chuckled. “I was going to wait until after dessert, but I’m afraid I’m too impatient. I have a surprise for you,” Rafael said, and reached inside his suit jacket.

Rafael took out a ring box and placed it on the middle of the table with a twinkle to his eyes. The box wasn’t new; Sonny could recognize it easily. It was their rings box, the one they chose when they bought their wedding rings. It was a beautiful burgundy, velvet box with black, satin lining. 

“I know I said I needed to get them polished, but actually I took them to get engraved,” Rafael said, and his smile widened. “Open it.” 

With a big smile of his own, Sonny reached for the box and opened it, turning it towards the light until he could see the words added to the inside of their bands. “I love you. 03.28”

Sonny almost melted back into his chair, but instead he leaned forward, grabbed Rafael’s tie with his free hand and pulled him to meet him in the middle for a kiss. It wasn’t a soft, tender kiss, it was frantic, and passionate, and  _ loud _ . 

Rafael pulled back with a smirk. “Sonny, people are staring at us.” 

“I don’t care,” Sonny breathed, but let go of his husband’s tie and settled back into his seat with a smug look to the couples around them. “I can’t believe you did this, Rafael. Well, actually, I can, I just didn’t see it coming.”

“Good,” he said smugly. “It was supposed to be a surprise, and I’m glad I’m still able to be a little unpredictable despite us being married for over four years.”

Sonny laughed, shaking his head fondly. He looked back at the rings, turning it slowly to check the engraving again. “This is really lovely, Raf. Thank you. Can you put mine back on?,” he asked, offering Rafael the box and his hand.

Rafael beamed at him, nodding as he took Sonny’s ring, the slightly smaller one, and placed it back on his ring finger. Then, he passed the box back to Sonny and offered his own hand. Sonny repeated the action, and kissed the back of Rafael’s hand once the ring was placed where it belonged. 

“I love you,” he said, still holding his husband’s hand.

“I love you, too, Sonny,” Rafael squeezed his hand. “You know, I never thought I’d have this. A long-lasting relationship, a husband, years of marriage under my belt. I never saw you coming, but I’m so happy being with you. Thank you for giving us a chance.” 

Sonny did melt this time, holding tighter to Rafael’s hand. “You’ve given us just as much of a chance as I have, Raf. We only work because we both want it to work, because we love each other enough to be here. I’m the happiest man on the planet, Rafael, thanks to you.”

“Will you please do that grabbing and kissing thing again?,” he asked, and Sonny smiled smugly as he did just that. This time, the kiss was loving and tender, way too intimate for such a public place. Sonny really didn’t care, though. 

“You know,” Rafael started once they settled back and the waiter brought them their desserts. “Our fifth anniversary is coming next, we should probably do something to celebrate that.”

Sonny beamed and nodded. “I agree. What’re you thinking?”

“If we ask early enough, we could probably get a couple weeks off and travel a little. Or we could get two weeks off and not leave the house at all for fourteen days,” he suggested, his eyes going dreamy for a second.

“Yeah? Turn off our phones and do nothing but snuggle and eat for two weeks?”

Rafael raised an eyebrow. “Snuggle? I believe we’re not quite on the same wavelength, love.”

“Is that so?,” Sonny smirked and leaned a bit closer, lowering his voice as he continued. “Would you keep me tied to our bed for those two weeks instead? Do whatever you want to me, whenever you feel like it? I’m definitely up for that.” 

Rafael swallowed the bite of his cheesecake with a little bit of difficulty, then nodded. “That’s more like it.” 

“Sounds great to me,” he winked. “I’ll put in the request for vacation days tomorrow, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on another fic already, so make sure you follow me on twitter to learn all about it @pastelpinktv
> 
> I've been gone for 12 days, and I miss your comments! So please let me know what you think, and hit that kudo button PLEASE <3<3<3


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